When they got back to the stables, Sam and Jake untacked their horses before going inside to wash up for dinner. They walked up the stairs together, each lost in their own thoughts. Jake thought about how much fun their ride had been, even though he knew it was because they were in a new place and only knew each other. He knew in a few days when they got more comfortable, the awkwardness would set in again. He wanted to tell Sam how he felt about her, but he didn't know how.

Sam was thinking more or less the same thing. She felt more at ease around Jake, but she was doing everything she could think of to not think about how much she liked Jake as more than a friend so it wouldn't be awkward. They got to the top of the stairs and went into their respective rooms, while Ember came and sat in the hallway between them. When Jake came out a few minutes later, he was startled to see Ember's amber eyes fixed on him. Sam came out of her room and cautiously pet Ember on the head. He turn and stared at her unblinkingly, and she gave Jake a tentative smile before leading the way downstairs. They got downstairs a saw Dylan rushing around, putting the food and silverware on the table. "Can we do anything to help," Sam asked. "It's best to leave her alone. It may look like she's rushing, but that's just the way she does things." Sam and Jake turned to see Jordan coming into the room. As they sat down to eat, Sam and Jake were surprised to see Ember and two other dogs come into the room and sit in a different corner. "Why are the dogs here?" Sam asked. "Protection," Was all Dylan said before passing the food.

Jake (first)

After dinner, Sam and I went upstairs with Ember following close behind. That dog still scared me, but I was getting used to him. Sam went into her room and hesitated just inside the doorway before turning and saying "Goodnight," quietly with a soft smile. I nodded and gave her a small smile back before going into my room.

Sometime around midnight, I awoke to a soft sound. It sounded like someone was crying. I knew instantly it was Sam, and crept quickly across the hall to her room. I went in and saw her sitting up in bed, crying softly. "What's wrong?" I asked. She look up, startled, then murmured, "Nothing" before turning over to her side with her back to me. I thought about leaving, but instead I got a glass of water and went over to give it to her. "It's not nothing. Want to talk about it?" I asked. "You, want to talk about something," she said, while slowly sipping the water. I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Only if you want to," I responded. Sam looked at me for a while, then said quietly, "I have the same nightmare pretty often." "Is it of when you fell off Blackie?" I asked. "No," she said quickly. She took a deep breath then said, "I keep seeing my mom die. Her losing control of the car, it going into the river, and seeing her struggling, but she can't get out." Sam leaned against my shoulder. "It's awful." I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me, not knowing what to say. "I don't know why I have that dream," she said. "I wasn't even there when she died." I pulled away and looked at her in surprise. "Yes you were. We were out for a ride and saw the whole thing. Don't you remember?" I asked. "No," she said. Then, a guilty look crossed her face. "I didn't tell you, but after my accident I didn't regain all of my memory from before it. I remember everything that has happened after, but not everything from before."

I instantly felt guiltier than ever. She for sure hated me now. I mean, come on. What girl would like a guy responsible for making them lose some of their memory? "I am so sorry," was all I could get out, as I quickly got up and left for my room.

Sam (first)

Great. I knew I shouldn't have told him that. He already feels way too guilty for something that wasn't even his fault, and now any hope I had that he might like me is gone. He's probably too afraid he'll "hurt" me again if he spends any more time with me. He probably can't wait to get back home and leave for college so he never has to see me again. Ever since New Year's, our friendship had begun to go downhill. Now, it'd just getting worse and worse. Either we somehow had to fix it, and soon, or it would be ruined beyond repair. I felt like someone was watching me, so I turned and saw Ember sitting in the doorway. He came over and rested his head on the bed. For once, he didn't seem too scary. I began to pet him and tell him everything about Jake and me. He just sat there and listened until I eventually fell asleep.

Jake (first)

When I got up the next morning, I looked into Sam's room before going downstairs. Her bed was made and there was no trace of her, so I went downstairs. Dylan was getting breakfast ready while Sam was sitting at the table talking to her. Ember, who lay at Sam's feet, was the only one who had noticed I'd come in. "So what's the story with you and Jake?" I heard Dylan ask. I quickly ducked behind the wall so they couldn't see me. "I don't know," Sam responded. "We've been friends since we were little, but when I was ten I was in a riding accident. Jake blames himself, even though it wasn't his fault, and I got sent away to San Francisco for two years. When I came back, our friendship changed." She was quiet for a moment, then said, "He held my hand at a bonfire my family had recently." "And how do you feel about that," Dylan asked. Sam took a deep breath then said, "I like him as more than a friend, but I think he regrets it. In a way I'm kind of mad at him for ruining our friendship. He was my best friend." "Well, I hope you can figure things out with him," Dylan said.

Sam liked me? I don't know what to think. Of course I like her too, but I don't know how to bring it up with Sam to tell her that. I turned and walked out of the house and down to the barn. Once there, I tacked up Storm, the horse I rode yesterday, and took off. When I got back to the barn, I walked around and ended up at the racehorse training track again. I sat down to watch the horses and was mesmerized not by the blinding speed, but by how the horses obviously love what they do. They were bred, born, and trained to run. I another Malinois standing by one of the trainers, and remembered Dylan saying she trained them, but never said what they were trained to do.